Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

One-Fourth of Patients Prescribed Rx Stimulants Misuse Them

A cross-sectional study recently published in JAMA Psychiatry sums up the prevalence of prescription stimulant use disorder (PSUD) among U.S. adults. Using national data, researchers found that 25.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 23.8%-26.8%) of adults using prescription stimulants reported misuse, and 9.0% (95% CI, 8.0%-10.0%) had PSUD as measured by DSM-5 criteria. Misuse and PSUD were significantly more prevalent among those prescribed amphetamines compared to methylphenidate. The study also identified demographic trends, with the largest …

Walgreens Set To Sell Off CityMD Urgent Care

After nearly 100 years as a publicly traded company, Walgreens is going private as part and parcel of a $10 billion buyout deal with private-equity firm Sycamore Partners. The company is on-task to sell Village Medical, Summit Health and CityMD clinic brands, all of which are operated under the VillageMD line of business. Many saw this massive leveraged buyout coming, although the on-again, off-again speculation hinted at prolonged negotiations. For the moment, there is no …

AFC Acquires 5 Physician One Urgent Care Centers

American Family Care announced its acquisition of 5 Physician One Urgent Care locations in the Boston area this week. The deal brings AFC’s total rooftops to 35 operating in Massachusetts and more than 400 across the United States. Meanwhile, the company has also added recent de novo sites with more in the pipeline. AFC has been backed by Lorient Capital since March 2024, and its clinical teams treat 4 million patients each year. Earlier this …

Postpartum Presentations: When Risk Arises After Delivery – Headache

Urgent Message: Both common and serious postpartum conditions may present in urgent care. Headache presentations should prompt consideration for possible postpartum preeclampsia, cerebral venous thrombosis, or post-dural puncture headache. Alexa Bailey, BS; Lauren Kostandaras, BS; Hannah Poorman, BS; Michael Weinstock, MD; Catherine Neal, DO Citation: Bailey A, Kostandaras L, Poorman H, Weinstock M, Neal C. Postpartum Presentations: When Risk Arises after Delivery – Headache. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(6): 23-30 Key Words: headache, postpartum, …

Shorter Visits Drive Greater Patient Satisfaction in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: Urgent care has long marketed itself as providing immediate care for acutely rising conditions, and true to this reputation, an analysis of clinical and administrative variables in electronic medical records shows the greatest predictor of patient satisfaction is visit duration. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Citation: Ayers AA. Shorter Visits Drive Greater Patient Satisfaction in Urgent Care. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(6):37-43 As a retail delivery channel, urgent care depends on future …

Documentation Excellence: The Trifecta

Brad Laymon, PA In the dynamic environment of urgent care (UC) medicine, precise, and thorough documentation serves as a cornerstone for both clinical and operational success. Beyond merely fulfilling regulatory requirements, documentation excellence has 3 critical functions, which I refer to as the “trifecta:” 1. Improved patient outcomes through clear communication of care; 2. Mitigation of malpractice risk through clear and defensible explanation of medical decision making (MDM); and 3. Accurate description of complexity to …

Dateline: Washington, D.C.

On February 5, a group of Urgent Care leaders returned to our nation’s capital to continue the work toward federal payment reform. The new administration had just settled in, and there were signs of turnover everywhere you looked: offices under reconstruction; evidence of recent unpacking; reporters everywhere; protestors on a few corners; phones ringing off the hook in every office; circles under more than a few eyes; and emotions both high and low on display. …

Urgent Care Evaluation and Management of Hip Osteoarthritis

Urgent Message: Osteoarthritis of the hip most commonly affects older adults and those with other risk factors including obesity and prior hip injury. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, therefore, the initial priority in urgent care for patients presenting with hip pain involves excluding alternative, time-sensitive etiologies. Alex Dragota, BSME; Matthew Baird, MD; Michael Weinstock, MD Citation: Dragota A, Baird M, Weinstock M. Urgent Care Evaluation and Management of Hip Osteoarthritis. J Urgent Care Med. …

68-Year-Old With Dyspnea

A 68-year-old female presents to urgent care with dyspnea for 2 days. She has a medical history of heart failure. An ECG is obtained. View the ECG captured above and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.

New 5-in-1 Meningococcal Vaccine Adds to Provider Options

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a meningococcal ABCWY vaccine for use in individuals aged 10 to 25 years, according to a press release from manufacturer GSK. The vaccine targets 5 groups of the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis (A,B,C,W, and Y), which represent the most invasive meningococcal disease cases globally. The vaccine combines antigenic components of the meningococcal group B vaccine and meningococcal groups A, C, Y, and W-135 oligosaccharide diphtheria CRM197 conjugate vaccine. Trial …